Longitudinal guide for a motor vehicle seat with two rails and guiding devices arranged between them

Abstract

A longitudinal guide apparatus for a motor vehicle seat having two rails for slidably supporting the motor vehicle seat for fore-aft position adjustment. The guide apparatus includes first fixation devices arranged at one of the two rails for fixing one rail to the motor vehicle seat. Second fixation devices are arranged at the other of the two rails connecting the other rail to a platform of a motor vehicle. Guiding devices are arranged between the two rails. Each rail is provided with at least one hooked part which is in reciprocal engagement with the hooked part of the other rail. One of the two rails is formed as an encompassed rail, the other rail being formed as an encompassing rail, the encompassing rail encompassing the encompassed rail wherein each of the two rails is equipped with a sliding section. The sliding section of one rail faces the sliding section of the other rail, and the rails are manufactured in such a way that in a first, unloaded state of the motor vehicle seat supported by the longitudinal guiding device there is a gap between the two sliding sections, whereas in a second, loaded state, when a load above a threshold value is placed on the motor vehicle seat, the rails deform so that the sliding sections contact and directly transfer forces from one rail to the other rail.

We claim: 
     
       1. A longitudinal guide device for mounting a seat inside a motor vehicle, comprising: a first elastically deformable rail and a second elastically deformable rail on which the seat is slidably supported so that the seat can be adjusted in a fore-aft direction;   first fixation devices arranged at the first rail for fixing said first rail to the seat;   second fixation devices arranged at the second rail connecting said second rail to a platform of a motor vehicle;   guiding devices arranged between the first rail and the second rail;   said first rail and second rail each having at least one hooked part arranged there along, the at least one hooked part having an inner circumference and the first rail and second rail being arranged relative to each other so that the inner circumference of the at least one hooked part of the first rail faces the inner circumference of the at least one hooked part of the second rail;   one of the two rails being formed as an encompassed rail, the other of said two rails being formed as an encompassing rail, the encompassing rail encompassing the encompassed rail wherein each of the two rails is equipped with a sliding section, the sliding section of one rail faces the sliding section of the other rail wherein in a first, initial state wherein a load applied between the rails is below a threshold value, the rails are spaced apart by and supported by the longitudinal guiding device and there is a gap between the two sliding sections, whereas in a second state, when the load applied between the rails is above the threshold value, elastic deformation in at least one of the two rails brings the sliding sections into contact so that the sliding sections support the load, said threshold value corresponding to a weight of a passenger, whereby the guide device can sliding support an empty seat and fixedly support a seat occupied by the passenger.   
     
     
       2. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first rail and the second rail each have a longitudinal direction and the sliding section of each rail extends in the longitudinal direction of the rails. 
     
     
       3. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one sliding section is arranged close to an adjacent sliding section. 
     
     
       4. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 3, wherein one rail is positioned relative to the other rail so that each sliding section separated a distance which is less than a third of a width of the first rail. 
     
     
       5. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the guiding device comprises balls and sliding section is arranged at a distance from the center of the balls of at least less than three times the diameter of the balls. 
     
     
       6. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sliding sections essentially run parallel to the platform. 
     
     
       7. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second rail is a platform rail and is formed as an encompassing rail and the sliding section of the platform rail is placed on a side of the section of this platform rail, which runs parallel to the platform. 
     
     
       8. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sliding section of the first rail, which is equipped with the first fixation devices, is placed in substantially vertical orientation relative to the first fixation devices. 
     
     
       9. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein a lubricant or grease is placed between the two sliding sections of the rails. 
     
     
       10. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first rail has two sides running towards each other at a substantially right angle, which form hooked parts showing a V- or U-shaped at their free ends. 
     
     
       11. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the hooked parts have one of V-shape and U-shape. 
     
     
       12. Longitudinal guide device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sliding sections are substantially planar and extend along more than half the entire length of the rail.